Beck Starr/WireImage(LOS ANGELES) -- Thomas Hurley III’s appearance on the TV quiz show Jeopardy! has fans of the show talking.

For Hurley’s final answer in the Jeopardy! Kids Week game that aired July 31, the 12-year-old Newtown, Conn., boy misspelled “Emancipation Proclamation” -- he wrote “Emanciptation Proclamation.” Even though the answer was correct, judges and host Alex Trebek said they couldn’t accept it because it was “badly misspelled,” Trebek said.

“I was pretty upset that I was cheated out of the final Jeopardy! question. It was just a spelling error,” Hurley, a Newtown Middle School student, told The News-Times of Danbury.

Unfortunately your browser does not support IFrames.

Having gotten the answer correct wouldn’t have made a difference to the outcome. Skyler Hornback, who also had the correct answer with the correct spelling, had $36,600 going into the final round. Thomas had $9,600, of which he’d wagered $3,000 on the outcome of the final round.

Hornback, 12, of Sonora, Ky., wagered $30,000, ending up with $66,000. That was the highest one-day total for a Jeopardy! Kids Week game and the third-highest one-day total ever, according to the show.

The decision to disqualify Thomas’ answer unleashed criticism on the program’s Facebook page from viewers who thought the decision on spelling was harsh. Others found Trebek’s explanation rude and inappropriate.

One poster wrote: “He’s 12, give the kid a break!”

In a statement overnight, Jeopardy! producers defended the decision, telling ABC News: “If Jeopardy! were to give credit for an incorrect response (however minor), the show would effectively penalize the other players.”

Hurley’s mother, Suzanne, said her son was “a little stunned” by the loss.

“He felt embarrassed,” she told the News-Times. “It was hard to watch.”

The show was taped in February.

Thomas won $2,000 as the second runner-up. He told the News-Times that he’ll save his money for college, and that it feels good to know that others share his belief about his answer.

“It’s just upsetting to have lost that way,” he told the News-Times. “I don’t know why it would have counted as the wrong answer.”

The Hurley family declined to comment further when reached by ABC News, saying they have moved on at this point.